The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 468: A Malevolent Oppressor

Chapter 468: A Malevolent Oppressor

Anna hurriedly stood up despite her weakened condition.

The light of hope in her eyes faded when she saw the figure entering, led by a knight. The door was swiftly closed, and the knight went out, leaving only the two of them inside.

A lantern flickered in the woman’s hand who entered, illuminating the chamber and revealing her identity. In her other hand, she carried a bowl covered with a lid.

A condescending smirk etched itself on Sarah’s lips.

"My, my... it seems like our great royal concubine has finally woken up! The knights said you’ve been banging on the door all afternoon and only stopped later on. I guess you fell asleep out of boredom when no one attended to you. Are your hands sore now?" she teased, her voice dripping with malice.

The chief lady-in-waiting approached and placed the lantern and the bowl on the table.

"What do you want?" Anna glared at Sarah, a surge of contempt filling her as she remembered the chief lady-in-waiting’s earlier accusations of her having a scandal with Prince Kiev.

"Why... to feed you, of course! The Knights of Gerhard and your useless healer’s wife made quite the ruckus outside to ensure you’re served," Sarah replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"The knights... and Callis... they are still here?" Anna asked, surprised.

"Those knights just came to create chaos while your st*pid friend refused to leave, even after my knights drove her away. They nearly got arrested if it wasn’t for your healer’s persuasion, telling them to retreat. At least one of them knows how to behave," Sarah said in a tone laced with disdain.

Anna’s eyes widened.

"They... they stood up for me! They still believe in me! They still do!" she cried, a wave of gratitude washing over her.

"Don’t be so full of yourself!" Sarah snapped. "Your healer made a bargain with me. If I feed you, then they will stop making noise. He said I shouldn’t be so heartless as to deny a pregnant woman food. Of course, I wouldn’t mind arresting them all, but I have a better plan..." Sarah smiled wickedly.

"What plan?" Anna asked, her heart sinking.

The grins on Sarah’s face were malevolent, and they certainly didn’t promise anything good.

As she recognised the dark intent behind the lady-in-waiting’s malicious smile, Anna felt a chill run down her spine. It was as if Sarah relished in her torment, feeding off her despair and vulnerability.

"Oh, sweet Anna," Sarah cooed mockingly," His Highness the Grand Duke is still here. While you sit here in your self-pity, I will play my part as the supportive friend, tending to his wounded heart due to his concubine’s betrayal!"

"Don’t you dare!" Anna shouted back, her voice hoarse and fierce despite the pain in her throat. "Kyren is my husband!"

"Husband??" Sarah laughed harshly. "You should have thought of that before you slept with another man and got yourself pregnant!"

The venom in Sarah’s words cut deep, but Anna refused to surrender to her spiteful remarks.

"I did not!" Anna countered defiantly. "This baby is Kyren’s and mine! I do not have a scandal with Prince Kiev or anyone else!"

"Deny all you want, concubine!" Sarah snarled. "The proof is all there! His Majesty the King has affirmed that your husband is infertile, and so has Kyren himself! What more can you say? He will surely leave you for good. You saw it yourself how he despised you!"

Anna gripped her fists in anger, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. Sarah’s daring act to call Kyren by his first name, as if they were equals, ignited a fire within her. How could she belittle their bond in such a demeaning way?

"You’re lying! He loves me! He’ll never leave me!"

"Ungrateful brat!" Sarah shouted, her temper flaring. "His Highness picked you out from the dirt and made you his woman, yet you’re not thankful and greedy! You don’t deserve someone like him!"

Seething with anger, Sarah threw the bowl against the wall. It shattered with a loud crash, ceramic pieces flying and porridge splattering onto the floor. Anna felt her heart race at the suddenness of the act, her body shaking in shock.

The chief lady-in-waiting approached her, a predatory glint in her eyes. Anna instinctively backed away, feeling an ominous chill wash over her. But before she could escape, Sarah’s hand snagged a fistful of her hair.

"Argh!! Let me go!" Anna screamed in pain.

The assault was swift; a sharp slap landed on her cheek. Pain radiated through her flesh as another slap followed on the other side, more and more... left and right until the burning sensation from it rendered her numb.

"You have no idea how long I’ve yearned to do this!" Sarah seethed with fury. "You are so pathetic and useless! You are nothing but a weak and annoying person! Yet you have the audacity to take what’s mine!"

"Stop! Please!" Anna begged, her voice breaking.

She pushed against Sarah with all her remaining strength, crying out for help, but no one came for her. Simultaneously, her weakened state left her vulnerable; she was no match for Sarah’s rage.

The chief lady-in-waiting had the Knights of Neblim stationed outside to ensure no one entered, while the royal knights were stationed further away for surveillance. This allowed her to unleash her vengeance on the princess without disturbance.

"I once contemplated allowing Kyren to keep you as his mistress, should he accept me as his legal wife. Yet, his gaze is solely upon you, and all he desires is to have you occupy the place that should have been mine! I was meant to be his queen and rule this kingdom! But you came along and destroyed everything!" yelled Sarah.

"Kyren was never yours, and he’ll never be! Why are you blaming me when your betrothal was called off long before I arrived?" Anna shouted back, panting.

"You despicable w*nch! You bewitched him, causing him to refuse to return to me and reject me! Because of you, my ambition is shattered! Because of you, he doesn’t even look me in the eye anymore!" Sarah spat, her face contorted with rage.

With a brutal yank, Sarah dragged Anna to the floor, where the spilt porridge lay. The cold mess coated the princess’s arms, and she flinched at the degradation of her situation.

"You’re hungry?" Sarah taunted, her tone dripping with scorn. "Eat that because you won’t get any more food after this! My father and the nobles petition to have you and Prince Kiev sentenced as soon as possible for your transgression. They will ensure you receive the heaviest punishment for tarnishing the royal family’s dignity!"

"No! No!" Anna’s tears fell like a broken dam, and a mixture of pain, confusion, and anguish came crashing over her.

But Sarah showed no mercy. With a sudden, forceful motion, she slammed Anna’s face into the porridge spread onto the floor. Anna struggled to break free, her senses overwhelmed by the cold, sticky mess smeared all over her face.

After a moment, Sarah cruelly let go, allowing Anna to lift her face from the floor. Coughing heavily, she gasped for air, the taste of dirt and humiliation stinging her throat.

She never knew such a noble woman could be so ruthless, making her tears flow incessantly.

"Tssk! How annoying!" Sarah clicked her tongue, her eyes rolling dismissively at the princess’s despair. "I don’t know what Kyren and the Mederian Prince see in you that makes them want you so much! You don’t possess half of my beauty and are dull and d*mb! His Highness Prince Kiev should have collaborated with me to take you away, but he was so arrogant and refused. Turns out, he has his own way of having you for good."

"What... what do you mean?" Anna managed to ask between her cries.

"See? You are just so d*mn st*pid that you can’t even understand this, can you?" Sarah retorted. "You’re so adamant about not having an affair with him. What else could have made you pregnant then? I thought you were so smart."

Anna recalled the entire allegation. Kyren was adamant that the child she carried was not his, as he couldn’t father children with any woman, and King Kyden had also remarked on his brother’s inability to beget her child.

Then, Sarah’s question resonated in her mind; how had she become pregnant, if not through her husband?

Anna remembered the fateful day of the possession incident—how she had lost consciousness completely until the following day.

Eric confronted her about the entire occurrence and how Kiev had rescued her from the forest. It was true that they had been stranded there that night. What had really happened then?

Anna’s eyes widened when a cold wave of realisation crashed over her.

"No! Prince Kiev wouldn’t do that! He wouldn’t!" Anna cried in disbelief as her mind raced to comprehend Sarah’s twisted insinuations.

"You finally get it! Oh, what a slow-witted b*tch you are! Sarah taunted, revelling in her triumph. "I planned to make you show fake pregnancy symptoms and spread affair rumours between you and him. But he refused to cooperate with me. I didn’t know he had a better plan, which was to make you pregnant for real! Hahaha!!!"

Sarah’s cruel laughter echoed through the chamber, leaving Anna in a state of horrified shock.

"That haughty prince... he just couldn’t have enough of one woman! He impregnated you and then, at the same time, got married to the maid. What a womaniser!" the chief lady-in-waiting added, delighted in the princess’s despair.

"No! This can’t be true!"

Anna’s stomach twisted as Sarah’s words crushed her, disbelief and horror swirling within her. She was sure that the baby’s father was Kyren, not Kiev!

"Suit yourself! Savour your last night in this cosy chamber, concubine. Because tomorrow, you will be unable to escape your fate! The next time I see you, I’ll make sure you and your b*stard child perish forever!" Sarah laughed maliciously again as she turned and strode towards the door, leaving Anna reeling in emotional pain.

The door slammed behind the princess with a heavy thud, plunging the chamber into an oppressive silence.

Anna sat there, her trembling hands cradling her stomach as she processed the chaos Sarah had inflicted on her mind.

"This... this can’t be Kiev’s child! It can’t be!" she whispered, shaking her head in denial as her cries broke forth like a dam unleashed.

The thought that Kiev could have violated her was unfathomable, and the more she thought about it, the more her heart shattered.

As her tears continued to fall, drowning her hopes, she grappled with the gnawing dread consuming her thoughts—had she really been assaulted? The thought spiralled her into a darkness she couldn’t bear to envision.

Then, suddenly...

’Tap! Tap!’

Sounds of hardened footsteps approached from the bleak corner of the dressing room. Instinctively, fear surged through Anna’s veins, but she fought back and lifted her head, squinting through the dim light.

Shadows began to emerge on the wall, cast by the flickering light of the lantern on the table. It wasn’t just one, but two.

Her heart raced with panic, yet a familiar voice cut through her terror.

"Aunt Anna!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.